Thomas Robert Malthus (1766-1843) is known primarily for the concerns about rising global
population. He
believed that the human population would increase faster than its
food supply. This
belief reflected his concerns about the declining living of 19th
century England. However, Malthus believed that once population
exceeded its food supply, “negative checks” such as war, famine, and
disease would develop to balance population
growth. Neo-
Malthusians such as Paul Ehrlich, a “doomsayer” biologist, have carried
forward the beliefs on population growth and food supply but differ in
that they consider birth control to be an acceptable method of reducing
population growth. In Ehrlich view, population size and environmental
problems are not linked to developed nations. He argues that,
population can be reduced through increased literacy, more effective
health care, and birth control programs. Ehrlich also believes
that humanity will continue to pay the price for exceeding the Earth’s
carrying capacity unless we realize that there are too many people
consuming too much.An optimist economist, Julian Simon, believed
that the natural
resources have provided humanity with infinite
materials from which to create or obtain products that would become
renewable resources. He argued that humans will find ways to conserve
resources or develop substitutes using
technology that would support
food production. Ehrlich criticized that this reliance on technology
will postpone problems instead of solving them.
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